Gender Discrimination in Education: The violation of rights of women ...

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Global Campaign for Education 8 18. In November 2010 there were hearings at the CESCR on sexual and reproductive rights and GCE supports a greater emphasis on the need to address the direct, indirect and structural determinants that may influence the level of enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health. These determinants, which include women’s level of education, relate to the enjoyment of all other human rights. As the former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Vernor Muñoz, has noted, education plays a key role in promoting sexual and reproductive rights: “There is no valid excuse for not providing people with the comprehensive sexual education that they need in order to lead a dignified and healthy life.” 19. The educational system must be adaptable to students’ different contexts and interests; for girls this means being responsive to issues around labour, early marriage and early pregnancy. The aim of preventing early marriage and pregnancy – in which the continued availability of school for girls must be a key strategy xiv – should be accompanied by efforts to ensure that education is available to girls regardless of marital or parental status. The right of pregnant girls to an acceptable education is explicitly recognized in the UNCRC, among other conventions. Yet the disconnection between international law and national law, and between law and practice, means that many girls are denied access to education as soon as they become mothers. In Tanzania, for example, expulsion of pregnant girls is implicitly sanctioned by a 2002 regulation (GN295 of 2002 Cap. 66), and thousands of girls are forced to drop out of school each year due to pregnancy. Making school adaptable to these girls’ needs involves not only addressing these laws and practices, but also positive action, for instance, to make timetables and physical infrastructure responsive to childcare responsibilities. 20. Adaptability of education must also take into account multiple discriminations, or the interaction of gender discrimination with other forms of discrimination, which can explain how women and girls are often the most marginalized among marginalized groups. This includes sexual identity and preferences, which must be respected within the school environment. In 2002, a Chilean secondary school student was expelled after having being seen on the streets with her girlfriend. The case was taken to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. Perhaps the most prevalent form of multiple discrimination is that experienced by poor indigenous and Afro-descendent woman as well as by poor rural women. In Bolivia, Honduras, Tanzania, Madagascar and many other countries, rich urban boys will spend more than twice as long in education as poor rural girls xv . In Mali in 2006, 17% of poor rural girls were completing primary education, compared to 68% of wealthy urban boys xvi . With the Commission on the Status of Women focusing on rural women in its current session, particular attention should be paid to the education of rural women. “I’m not happy being during their
PART III: Necessary state action a girl, because young women suffer physical development and can face discrimination in some jobs.” Girl, 17 years old, urban Bolivia 21. The responsibility for addressing gender discrimination in education – as understood through the 4A framework – lies ultimately with States. Gender inequalities in education are a function of gender discrimination and patriarchal social and cultural structures, which exist everywhere in the world. Yet any government can revolutionize girls’ and women’s experience of the education system through adopting laws, policies and practices to make education available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. Bangladesh, despite the existence of ongoing challenges, has achieved gender parity for primary and secondary enrolment and for primary completion via policies including free secondary education for girls, improved school construction, including of sanitary facilities, and targets for increased recruitment of female teachers xvii . 22. Given the scarce resources available and broader social gender inequalities, national strategies should focus principally on governance and budgeting. Governance reforms should address themselves to the question of who creates, implements and monitors policies, as well as how the authorities are held accountable. Women and girls – including the most marginalized – must participate in governance if the system is to function in their interests. Similarly, genderresponsive budgeting and decision making that includes civil society participation is widely understood to have a significant impact in improving education for girls xviii . GCE’s analysis of education availability shows that high performance in access is clearly linked to increases in education and related development spending. 9 Gender Discrimination in Education: The violation of rights of women and girls
Page 1 and 2: Gender Discrimination in Education:
Page 3 and 4: PART 1: Introduction 1. There are m
Page 5 and 6: CASE STUDY 1: BOLIVIA Legislative a
Page 7: which combine with a preference for
Page 11 and 12: 28. Where there was gender stereoty
Page 13 and 14: “My father wouldn’t send me to
Page 15 and 16: The global entities addressing Educ
Page 17 and 18: CASE STUDY 4: TANZANIA Legislative
Page 19: WEAK PERFORMERS (cont.) FAILING SHA

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